Week 20

Tricks: She flips all around these days.  She holds the bottle on her own to feed herself (discovered during the prune fiasco).  She still moves backwards - definitely not forward.  It's still grabbing and sucking on her toes.  She's starting to recognize faces (beyond her own parents) and meet them with smiles.  If you take something from her, she'll let you know she's getting unhappy about it. 

Life: We just can't believe how much she can do.  She's getting so big! She's finally out of the newborn clothes - yes, all of them, even the ones that were huge on her.  I can no longer call her my newborn.  So sad. But such fun to watch her grow and start new things.

Ah, teething...

At first you tell yourself that there's no way. She's too young. It's too early.

Then you notice that she isn't eating as well and sometimes cries while nursing. She's been drooling for some time and everyone seems to be warning you that she's teething. So you ask other mom's who have had babies in this decade. They respond, "are her gums inflamed? Do you see the teeth coming through?" the reality is that first time Moms have never gone through this, so we haven't a clue what we're really looking for.

Then you watch as she grabs for things, draws them to her mouth and wails out in pain. Finally catching on here, Mom.

OK, it's teething. The drool, the poor nursing, the trouble sleeping and random crying is buttressed by noticing reddish gums and white bud looking shapes under the gumline.

Thanks to Becky Sechrist for offering her teething solution of frozen washcloths. These serve as fantastic replacements for the rapidly melting teething rings the stores hock.

And so it begins.

Gotta love it!

Week 19

Tricks: feet in the mouth, helping to open the mail by tossing everything on the floor and looking down to see where it all went. Maybe a bit of hide and seek? Pulls pacifier out to talk

Life: the trip overseas has been challenging as far as getting the babies back on schedule. The first night back was particularly rough, she was up several times and then again at 3am for good.

Day by day it's getting better. After Ellie woke herself out of a sound sleep by knocking her head against the crib rail, we bought bumpers right away! She seems to be loving them, since they block her view.

Week 18

Tricks: rolls her Rs, flips over both ways, laughs more, can hit toys to make noise

Life: we're in Italy now. So we'll have much more to add once we're back - exhausted for now!  It's amazing and the baby is spending most of her day in the baby bjorn on either Dave or me.

Easy Tender Brisket

3 pounds beef brisket
1 (1 ounce) package dry onion soup mix
1 Tbsp liquid smoke flavoring
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4 c all-purpose flour

Preheat oven to 275 degrees F (135 degrees C).

Pour liquid smoke over the brisket and sprinkle on garlic powder, dry onion soup mix, and ground black pepper. Seal foil.
Bake in a preheated oven for 6 to 8 hours.  At the end, pull pan out of oven and whisk 1-2 Tbsps flour. Pan is bubbling still with juices, and flour will thicken sauce.

Serves 7.

How much your heart expands

Your heart feels like it could explode with love for your child.  Suddenly so many things feel different.  The news becomes almost unbearable to read and watch the crime stories. 

Millions of kisses...and the kid's only 3 months old.  Such joy with every smile, twinkle, sweet nap, and laugh.  Being a Mom is the best job, and I'm so blessed to have it!

Week 17

Tricks: She's suddenly clutching everything and wants to get her hands and mouth on just about everything she sees. She regularly bounces on our legs, laughs at the dogs (and only sometimes at us.) She's still trucking down the crawl track. Ellie loves petting Killian, practicing sitting up, and showing off her grins.

Life: Wow, time is really starting to fly!

And we're flying to Italy this weekend, so wish us luck! I recognize that her routine will wind up slightly 'off' with the 5 hour time difference. I cannot wait for Ellie to see some of the paintings in the Vatican.

As for this week, the weather has warmed up and so we threw the windows open throughout the day and night. I think that the outdoor lullaby isn't as sweet as she's used to, so she's begin waking a bit more often at night. In contrast with my former self, I'm sure she'll work it out.

But for now, I find myself typing this on my phone as I'm sitting in the car hoping she can extend her nap and catch up on some much needed sleep!

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

First Day Spent Outside!